Where to eat and drink during pandal hopping in Kolkata

127 places, famous ones only, grouped by the pandal area they sit in. One line each on what to order. The planner shows these on your route when they are on the way and suggests the nearest when you finish.

North Kolkata

Bagbazar – Kumartuli – Ahiritola

  • Bholanath Cabin (Bagbazar)Old Bagbazar cabin on Girish Avenue for kochuri with aloo dum in the morning and chops later
  • Nalin Chandra Das & Sons (Natun Bazar, Jorasanko)Sweet shop since 1841 inside Natun Bazar off Rabindra Sarani; the jalbhara sandesh is the thing to buy

Lake Town – Sreebhumi – Dum Dum Park

  • Arsalan (Jessore Road, Dum Dum)Branch of the Park Circus biryani house on Jessore Road near Diamond Plaza; the only famous name on the Lake Town-Dum Dum corridor
  • Calcutta 64 (Lake Town)Bengali and continental plates in Lake Town, ten minutes from Sreebhumi
  • Sen Mahasay (Lake Town)Lake Town branch of the old Shyambazar sweet house; sandesh and mishti doi after the Sreebhumi crowds
  • Sonar Tori (City Centre, Salt Lake)Ambuja Neotia's upscale Bengali table on the 4th floor of City Centre 1; a destination, not a pandal-side stop

Maniktala – Amherst Street

  • Ganguram (Maniktala, Vivekananda Road)Kochuri till 10 am, radhaballabhi after, and the full Ganguram sweet counter at the Amherst Street crossing by Maniktala market

Shobhabazar – Hatibagan

  • National Economic Restaurant (Shyambazar)Tea and half-pound bread with butter toast from 7.30 am, a century-old breakfast room off the five-point; prices start at Rs 10
  • Adi Haridas Modak (Shyambazar)250-year-old sweet shop at the five-point: kochuri with aloo torkari, kalojam, chhanar jilipi
  • Allen Kitchen (Shobhabazar)Prawn cutlet fried in ghee is the one thing to order; tiny counter, mostly takeaway
  • Bhojohori Manna (Hatibagan)Sit-down Bengali meal beside Star Theatre: kosha mangsho, daab chingri, mutton dakbungalow; branch of the Ekdalia original
  • Chittaranjan Mistanna Bhandar (Shyambazar Street)The rosogolla specialist since 1907, one of the GI-certified shops; also kalakand and sandesh, no seating
  • Dilruba (Hatibagan)Old cabin-style Mughlai at Hatibagan crossing: mutton kabiraji, chaap, biryani; AC and non-AC rooms
  • Dwarik's Grandsons (Shyambazar)Main shop of the 1885 sweet house near the Shyambazar five-point; mishti doi and sandesh
  • Girish Ch. Dey & Nakur Ch. Nandy (Hedua)Dry sandesh since 1844: jolbhora, monohora, malai roll; no seating, buy a box for the walk
  • Golbari / New Punjabi Hotel (Shyambazar)Kosha mangsho with porota, the Shyambazar classic since the 1920s; the curved building at the five-point
  • Lakshmi Narayan Shaw & Sons (Netaji's telebhaja shop)Telebhaja since 1918: aamer chop in season, beguni, phuluri, aloo chop; Netaji's old haunt, eat standing
  • Mitra Cafe (Shobhabazar)Fish kabiraji and brain chop since 1920; right at Shobhabazar metro, opposite gate 5

Tala – Belgachia – Cossipore

  • Mitra Cafe (Dum Dum)Dum Dum branch of the Shobhabazar kabiraji house: fish kabiraji, mutton cutlet; 200 m from Dum Dum station

Central Kolkata

College Street line

  • Favourite Cabin (College Street)Tea and butter toast since 1918, where the Kallol poets and revolutionaries sat; cash only, tiny
  • Basanta Cabin (College Street)Old College Street cabin for fish kabiraji, thin Mughlai porota and aloo dum; Uttam Kumar ate here
  • Bhim Chandra Nag (Bowbazar)Ledikeni and sandesh since 1826; buy a box, no seating
  • Dilkhusha Cabin (College Street)Century-old cabin at the MG Road-College Street crossing: fish kabiraji, dimer devil, doi chicken; cabins gone since 2011, food the same
  • Indian Coffee House (College Street)The adda institution since 1942: infusion, mutton cutlet, Kabiraji; first floor of Albert Hall
  • Kalika (College Street telebhaja)Chops and telebhaja since 1965: fish chop, mochar chop, beguni; afternoons only, closed Sunday
  • Niranjan Agar (Girish Park)Fish fry, mutton cutlet and mangsho chop in a 1920s cabin beside Girish Park metro; Uttam Kumar's old haunt
  • Paramount Sherbet (College Square)Daab sherbet since 1918, the College Street cool-down; stand at the counter
  • Putiram (College Street)Kochuri with cholar dal and phulkopir shingara, sweets after; heritage shop near the College Street end of Surya Sen Street
  • Royal Indian Hotel (Chitpur)Mutton chaap and the kofta biryani since 1905, near Nakhoda Masjid; shahi tukda to finish
  • Swadhin Bharat Hindu Hotel (College Square)1920s pice hotel on Bhawani Dutta Lane where Netaji ate; rice, dal and fish curry at lunch

Janbazar – Taltala

  • Aqua (The Park)Poolside bar on The Park's upper deck; evening drinks and DJ nights by the pool
  • Blue & Beyond (The Lindsay rooftop, New Market)Rooftop bar on the 10th floor of The Lindsay opposite New Market; skyline from Howrah Bridge to Victoria, open-air and AC sections
  • Broadway Hotel bar (Ganesh Chandra Avenue)1937 Art Deco hotel bar: high ceilings, old fans, fish fry with your drink
  • Chota Bristol / Shaw's Bar (Esplanade)150-year-old standing bar in the lane beside Metro cinema; cheap, loud, shuts at 10 pm (closed 6:00-6:15 pm for the puja)
  • Fairlawn Hotel garden bar (Sudder Street)A beer under the trees in the garden of the 1783 colonial house turned hotel (now Elgin Fairlawn), just off Sudder Street
  • Monkey Bar (Park Street)The gastropub is back (Sept 2026) in Magma House behind Park Centre, 24 Park Street: cocktails, bar food, retro nights
  • Moulin Rouge (Park Street)Old Park Street bar-restaurant with live music; red-brick arched entrance
  • Oasis (Park Street)50-year-old bar-restaurant: Indian, Chinese and continental, no frills
  • Olypub (Park Street)Beef steak and cheap drinks since 1947, upstairs at 21 Park Street; queue on weekends
  • Roxy (The Park)DJ club inside The Park hotel; smart-casual dress code, late
  • Someplace Else (The Park)Live rock pub inside The Park hotel; bands every night, cover charge on weekends
  • Tantra (The Park)The Park's two-floor nightclub; cover charge, late nights, heaving on puja weekend
  • The Lords and Barons (Park Street)English-tavern pub on Park Street opposite Hard Rock Cafe: ales, pies and whisky
  • Trincas (Park Street)Live music every night since 1959; dinner and drinks, old Park Street at its best
  • Aaheli (Peerless Inn, Esplanade)The city's first fine-dining Bengali restaurant: Aaheli thali, daab chingri, kosha mangsho; lunch 12:30-3, dinner 7:30-11
  • Aliah Hotel (Bentinck Street)Old Mughlai hotel off the Bentinck Street-Waterloo Street corner: mutton biryani, reshmi kebab, haleem in Ramzan
  • Aminia (New Market)Biryani and mutton rezala from the 1929 chain; this outlet since 1947, big and quick
  • Anadi Cabin (Esplanade)Mughlai porota with aloo torkari since 1925; stand-and-eat cabin a minute from Esplanade metro
  • Arsalan (Park Circus)The biryani everyone names: mutton biryani with aloo and egg, chaap; at the 7-point crossing, long waits on puja nights
  • Badshah (Lindsay Street, New Market)Mutton Badshahi roll since 1968, the rival to Nizam's on the other side of the market
  • Bar-B-Q (Park Street)North Indian and Chinese since 1962 on two floors; bar inside
  • Dacres Lane (Chitto Babur Dokan)Office-para street-food lane: chicken stew, fish fry, toast and tea on Chitto Babu's benches
  • Eau Chew (Ganesh Chandra Avenue)India's oldest family-run Chinese restaurant (1920s), up a staircase on Ganesh Chandra Avenue: Josephine noodles, chimney soup, roast chilli pork
  • Flurys (Park Street)Tea room since 1927: rum balls, pastries, English breakfast
  • Golden Dragon (Park Street)Decades-old family-run Chinese in Park Mansion: mei foong noodles, roast pork, chilli pork; cheap for Park Street
  • Hot Kati Roll (Park Street)Egg chicken roll since 1987, at the Chowringhee end of Park Street
  • Ilish Truly Bong (Park Street)Hilsa every which way, bhapa, paturi, shorshe, plus a Bengali thali; first floor at the Mullick Bazar end of Park Street
  • K.C. Das (Esplanade)Rosogolla from the family that invented it; sit-down counter at Esplanade East
  • Kusum Rolls (Park Street)Egg-mutton roll since 1966; the Park Street roll counter below Olypub
  • Kwality (Park Street)Park Street since 1952: butter chicken, kebabs and the kulfi; dependable rather than trendy, in the Oxford Bookstore block
  • Marco Polo (Park Street)North Indian and continental in the Park Centre building at the Camac Street end of Park Street; kebabs and the old Park Street dinner feel
  • Mocambo (Park Street)Continental since 1956: chicken a la Kiev, bekti meuniere, devilled crabs
  • Nahoum & Sons (New Market)Jewish bakery since 1902 inside New Market: fruit cake, brownies, macaroons
  • Nizam's (New Market)Birthplace of the kathi roll (1932): mutton roll or egg-mutton roll
  • Peter Cat (Park Street)Chelo kebab since 1975; expect a queue after 8 pm
  • Rahmania (Park Street-Mullick Bazar crossing)Old Mughlai house at the Mullick Bazar crossing next door to Shiraz: mutton biryani and chaap, open from dawn
  • Sabir's Hotel (Chandni Chowk)Mutton rezala with porota, the Chandni Chowk legend; biryani too
  • Shiraz Golden Restaurant (Mullick Bazar)Mughlai since 1941: mutton biryani, chaap, firni; at the Park Street-AJC Bose Road crossing
  • Sree Krishna Mistanna Bhandar (S.N. Banerjee Road)Hing kochuri, hot rosogolla and tea at the Moti Sil Street corner of S.N. Banerjee Road, a short walk from Esplanade
  • Suruchi (Elliot Road)Home-style Bengali lunch cooked by the All Bengal Women's Union since the 1970s; lunch hours, cheap, closes early
  • The Blue Poppy Thakali (Sikkim House)Doma Wang's momos, thukpa and Thakali thali upstairs in Sikkim House; closed the last Saturday of the month
  • The Bridge (The Park)The Park's all-day restaurant beside the pool: breakfast to late dinner, local and international
  • The Chutney Co. (BBD Bagh)Vegetarian South Indian, dosas and filter coffee, on the first floor of Centre Point behind the Great Eastern
  • Tung Fong (Park Street)Old-school Indo-Chinese in Karnani Mansion next to Mocambo: golden fried prawns, mixed hakka chowmein, drums of heaven
  • Waldorf (Park Street)One of Park Street's oldest Chinese restaurants, at the Russell Street corner; the chilli chicken and sweet-and-sour of family dinners past
  • Zam Zam (Noor Ali Lane, Entally)Beef biryani house: biryani with the mandatory potato, beef malai, shahi tukra; no frills, very cheap

East Kolkata

South Kolkata

Behala – Barisha

  • Haji Saheb (Behala)Behala's own biryani and roll shop on Diamond Harbour Road, near the 14 No. bus stop

Bhowanipore – Hazra

  • Scrapyard Brewing Co. (Camac Street)Tenth-floor brewpub in Usha Kiran on Camac Street; craft beer and a terrace
  • The Astor bars (Shakespeare Sarani)Victorian heritage hotel near the Camac Street crossing: Cheers pub, Deck88 rooftop bar, Kebab-e-Que grill
  • The Junction (Taj Bengal, Alipore)Railway-carriage-themed bar inside Taj Bengal: single malts and quiet; 4 pm to 2 am, pricey
  • Underground, Hotel Hindusthan International (AJC Bose Road)The HHI hotel's bar and club 'Underground' on AJC Bose Road, across from Minto Park
  • Balwant Singh's Eating House (Bhowanipore)Doodh cola and kesar chai at 2 am; open round the clock, aloo paratha and samosa too
  • Sharma Tea House (Bhowanipore)Roadside masala chai in a clay bhar with kachori, from 5:30 in the morning
  • Balaram Mullick & Radharaman Mullick (Bhowanipore)The 1885 flagship: baked rosogolla, nolen gur sandesh, aam doi; buy and walk
  • Karim's (Park Circus) (temporarily closed)The Delhi Jama Masjid biryani house's Park Circus branch: mutton burra and Karim's nihari
  • Kewpie's Kitchen (Elgin Lane)Bengali thali in a family home since 1989; book ahead
  • The Bikers Cafe (Elgin Road)Motorbike-themed cafe in Platinum Mall on Elgin Road, near Netaji Bhawan
  • The Salt House (Shakespeare Sarani)European plates with a Bengali twist and a long bar on Theatre Road; an end-of-night stop

Gariahat – Ballygunge

  • The Irish House (Quest Mall)Big beer-and-pub-grub bar on Quest Mall's top floor; packed on puja evenings, long waits
  • 6 Ballygunge PlaceThe upmarket Bengali bungalow (2003): daab chingri, kosha mangsho, bhapa ilish; book ahead on Puja nights
  • Azad Hind Dhaba (Hindusthan Park)Late-night Punjabi dhaba: dal tadka, butter chicken, roti; this is the Hindusthan Park branch
  • Bedwin / Bedouin Roll Centre (Gariahat)Gariahat's roll counter: egg chicken roll, mutton roll; closed Sunday
  • Bhojohori Manna (Hindusthan Road)Bengali comfort food beside Ekdalia and Hindusthan Club: kosha mangsho, chingri malaikari, daab chingri
  • Bohemian (Ballygunge Place)Chef Joymalya Banerjee's modern Bengali: gondhoraj and kasundi in everything; book ahead
  • Campari (Gariahat)Fish fry, mutton cutlet and egg rolls since 1979, a few steps from Gariahat crossing
  • Haldiram's (Ballygunge Phari)Reliable veg snacks, chaat and sweets at Ballygunge Phari crossing
  • Jugal's (Rash Behari Avenue, Gariahat)1923 Sealdah sweet house, Gariahat branch: kheer kadam, mishti doi, singara
  • Kasturi (Ballygunge Place)Budget Bangladeshi-Bengali since 1994: kochu pata chingri bhapa, bhuna khichuri, shutki
  • Koshe Kosha (Golpark)Chain built on kosha mangsho and luchi; the Golpark outlet is the one on the Gariahat side
  • Mithai (Syed Amir Ali Avenue)The 1955 Ghosh family shop: nolen gur sandesh in season, mishti doi, no colouring or excess sugar
  • Mitra Cafe (Golpark)South branch of the 1910 Shobhabazar cabin: fish kabiraji, diamond fish fry, brain chop
  • Mouchak (Golpark)Sweets and shingara: nolen gur sandesh, shahi paan sandesh, baked mihidana
  • Saptapadi (Hindusthan Park)Film-themed Bengali thalis next door to Tero Parbon: kosha mangsho, bhetki paturi, an Anglo-Indian menu too
  • Sienna Store & Cafe (Hindusthan Park)Design store and cafe in a Hindusthan Park house: Bengali small plates, gondhoraj drinks, filter coffee
  • Tasty Corner (Mandeville Gardens)Cheap student favourite in the lane behind Ekdalia: hing kachori, parathas, chicken chaap, jalebi
  • Tero Parbon (Hindusthan Park)Sit-down Bengali between Hindusthan Park and Golpark: bhetki paturi, mutton, chingri
  • Zam Zam (Park Circus)The original Park Circus beef biryani house: biryani with the mandatory potato, beef malai, shami kebab
  • Zeeshan (Park Circus)Cheaper, quicker biryani and rolls 250 m south of Arsalan on Syed Amir Ali Avenue

Jodhpur Park – Selimpur – Dhakuria

  • Lord of the Drinks (South City Mall)Delhi chain's double-height bar on the 4th floor of South City Mall, opposite the food court
  • Dolly's The Tea Shop (Dakshinapan)Iced tea and sandwiches in the Dakshinapan courtyard; Dolly Roy's shop since 1988
  • Balaram Mullick & Radharaman Mullick (Lake Gardens)Branch of the 1885 Bhowanipore house on Prince Anwar Shah Road: baked rosogolla, nolen gur sandesh, aam doi
  • Calcutta Pi (Prince Anwar Shah Road)Bengali comfort food just east of South City: dimer devil, gondhoraj chicken, kosha mangsho
  • Hindusthan Sweets (South City Mall)Cream rolls and sandesh from the Jadavpur chain, at the Spencer's end of South City Mall; the original shop is at the 8B bus stand

Khidirpur

  • India Restaurant (Khidirpur)Khidirpur's biryani institution: mutton biryani, chaap

Lake Road – Rashbehari – Kalighat

  • Apanjan (Kalighat)Fish fry with chips and salad since 1982; takeaway counter on Sadananda Road
  • Calcutta Nostalgia (Mudiali)Thakurbari-style Bengali thalis in a lane behind Mudiali: chingri bora, mohabhoj thali, daab pudding
  • Epare Bangla (Lake Terrace)Thali-led Bengali place that grew out of a cloud kitchen: basanti pulao, mutton kosha; closed 16:00-19:00
  • Kamdhenu Sweets (Lake Mall)Besan laddoo, rasmalai and nolen gur sandesh at the Lake Mall counter by Lake Market
  • Makhan Lal Das & Sons (Lake View Road)South branch of one of the city's oldest sandesh houses (Natun Bazar, 1824): plain sandesh, kanchagolla, nolen gur in season
  • Oudh 1590 (Deshapriya Park)The original Awadhi dining room (2013): handi biryani, galouti kebab, raan; expect a wait on Puja nights
  • Oudh 1590 (Southern Avenue, Vivekananda Park)Newer Oudh 1590 branch by Vivekananda Park on Southern Avenue; the same handi biryani as Deshapriya Park
  • Pithe Bilashi (Kalighat)Pithe and puli all year, sweet and savoury, a lane from Kalighat metro
  • Sree Hari Mistanna Bhandar (Bhowanipore)Morning kochuri with cholar dal, halua and the jumbo langcha, since 1913; go before noon
  • Tanur Heshel (Sarat Bose Road)Bengali-Chinese family restaurant opposite the Sarat Bose Road post office
  • The Bhoj Company (Lake Market)Dhakai Bengali cooking upstairs beside Lake Mall: kacchi biryani, ilish, bhuna

Santoshpur – Haltu

  • Bhooter Raja Dilo Bor (Jadavpur)Goopy-Bagha themed Bengali thalis beside the 8B bus stand; there is also a Hatibagan branch for the north

Questions people ask

Where do people eat during pandal hopping in Kolkata?
Near the pandals, on the move: rolls, chops, phuchka and chowmein from the stalls that line every big puja, then one proper sit-down meal. North Kolkata means the old cabins (Mitra Cafe, Allen Kitchen, Dilkhusha, Niranjan Agar) and sweet shops; the south means Bengali kitchens around Gariahat, Hindusthan Park and Lake Market; Park Street and Park Circus are the late-night finish for biryani and bars.
Are restaurants open late during Durga Puja?
Most well-known restaurants run extended hours on Saptami to Navami nights and the roll and biryani counters go past midnight; in 2025 a few places (Balwant Singh's Eating House among them) served until 4 am. Bar closing times during Puja are set by the excise rules of the year and are not published in advance, so check on the night. Hours listed here come from a stated source and are a guide, not a promise.
What should I order in north Kolkata?
Kabiraji and fish fry at the cabins, kosha mangsho at Golbari, telebhaja at Lakshmi Narayan Shaw, and sweets from Nakur, Nalin Chandra Das, Chittaranjan and Bhim Nag. The planner shows these when they are on your way and lists the nearest ones when your route ends.
How does the planner choose which eateries to show?
Only famous, long-established places that any Kolkatan would name, each pinned from OpenStreetMap, Wikimedia Commons or Wikidata and marked with a confidence grade. On a route you see the ones within about 150 m of your walk, and up to three within a kilometre of where you finish. Places that are temporarily closed are still shown, labelled, so you are not sent to a shut door.